


Of Hives and Kin

by Rihaes



Series: Tales of A Free Hive [1]
Category: Kenshi (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Asexual Character, Child Abuse, Children, Families of Choice, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Slavery, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:55:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28338825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rihaes/pseuds/Rihaes
Summary: This short story follows an odd duo trying to find peace and protect each other from the cruel world they live in.
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s)
Series: Tales of A Free Hive [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075295
Kudos: 7





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by a sketch made by u/mafisadi and posted on the r/kenshi subreddit. It was the one with a blind hiver and a little girl.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How it all began...

"RUN!" he shouted in that unsettling, insect-like voice that had somehow, over the short time they had spent together had become comforting to her. He leaped in front of the blade that was swung towards her, knowing full well that this hit could cost him his good arm or even his life, but he did not care. All that mattered at this moment was protecting the girl. Oh, that little girl he was taking care of. She barely let go of him ever since they managed to escape from that awful slave camp.

"Rebirth" they called it. The Holy Nation, a religious state, and one of the few great powers in the land have twisted their faith. The Okranite religion originally was about worshiping Okran, The Lord of Light, giving to the ones in need, healing the sick and wounded, protecting the weak. And yet, they didn't. They twisted this, no doubt pure and good religion into a reason to oppress people. The Holy Nation and their Holy Lord Phoenix hated "the dark ones", as they called them. They called any non-human races like this. The Scorchlanders, a race of nomadic humans with dark skin and bright eyes and hair, and all women were considered second class citizens, while all others were considered unholy, and to be enslaved on sight. They were thought to be the creations of Narko, The Vile Demoness of Darkness. They still had it better than anyone with cybernetics. The Holy Nation hated modern sciences, and attacked and killed any with cybernetic limbs, or even more unluckily, Skeletons. The skeletons were a robotic race, remnants of the great empires of the past, and as such, they were all heretical from the Okranites' point of view.

The "lucky" ones, who weren't killed on sight were usually taken to slave camps, where they were treated horribly, mining all day and night until they fell unconscious from exhaustion, and then they were beaten awake, to work until they fell dead. They wouldn't take it. One night they decided to try and escape. Lucky for them one of their ranks, a Scorchlander, who was in for "heretical activity", was a member of the shinobi thieves. They were a not so exclusive group of thieves, stationed in many towns around the land, and offered some minimal training for any member. This one though was not very skilled. Usually, there were many guards around camp, but this night most of them were sent to search for a few heretics who were seen nearby. A patrol of Holy Nation paladins has run into some tech hunters, one of whom had a cybernetic arm. The holy patrol attacked on sight, but the tech hunters were more skilled than they were prepared for. They took most of them apart, without much trouble, but some of them managed to flee, and got back to a nearby outpost. They were sent to recover, and search parties were dispatched to find the heretics.

Some of those search parties were from this slave camp. Thankfully there were only two men left at the gate. The two were talking, complaining about getting guard duty instead of going out to purge heretics. After their conversation had died down, one of the slaves, the shinobi thief managed to take one of them down silently with a simple, yet quick and precise bash to the head. Just before the guard's body, and his heavy, plated armor hit the ground, a large Shek caught him just a moment before the other noticed the sound. Not that it would matter much. When the thief tried to knock out the second guard, he moved his head just a tad too far to the left, and so, he merely bonked his helmet instead of dealing a decisive blow that would knock him down. The paladin noticed immediately, and drew his blade, if you could call that large weapon he was wielding a blade. He was wielding some sort of hacker, a very large and heavy bladed weapon, used to deal blunt damage instead of cutting your enemy. It wasn't very well maintained, but it didn't matter. It was good enough to slay a bunch of would-be escaped slaves. Just as he drew his weapon, he brought it down on the thief. He tried to dodge it, but it wasn't good enough. He hit his leg hard, definitely breaking it. He couldn't even stand. The rest knew this. Some of the slaves, mostly Shek, tried to fight the guard. Of course, it was the Shek, who'd try to fight. The Shek were a race of humanoids with bony armor covering their bodies. They were completely bald, instead, they had horns on their head. Those horns were something of a point of pride for most. They lived by a warrior code and they lived their lives honorably, but honor didn't matter much in a fight like this. They had the advantage in numbers, right? They could beat him, right? They couldn't. That was clear as soon as two large Shek men fell to the ground from a single heavy strike. They were too malnourished to fight, but even if they weren't, the guard was well trained and equipped, while they only had simple, torn robes, and most of them still had their shackles on. The rest of the slaves, who were unable to fight, due to injury, or a lack of skill or bravery took advantage of the opportunity and ran. Maybe they could outrun him. He was wearing heavy armor and was preoccupied with the ones who stayed to fight. They made a run for it.

They ran for hours before they were quite sure they weren't followed. Great, they escaped. Now they were ex-slaves in hostile territory. The more skilled of them figured, that they should all split up to attract less attention. The more vulnerable of them would likely die, but they had little to no care for them. They were left behind. Some of them were blind, some of them were missing limbs, and some were just too traumatized to run further. That's the way it goes around here. If you can't survive on your own, others won't help you.

Among the ones left behind were some curious people. There was this one little girl. She didn't have a name. She couldn't remember being called anything but "Girl!" or "Slave!", as she was around 8 or 9 years old, she wasn't even sure. She was a scorchlander, but her skin was rather light. Not quite as light as a Greenlander's, but still considerably lighter than most Scorchlanders'. At a distance, you could confuse her with a Greenlander if not for her light, whiteish grey hair and eyes. She didn't have anyone with her. No parents, no siblings, no sort of caretaker. She was quite alone. She didn't remember why she was thrown into that slave pit. Likely her parents have somehow offended the authorities and were taken as a result. She didn't remember their touch, their voices, their faces, not even their love. All she remembered at this point was the harsh work those paladins put her under and the punishment she got for failing to meet their quota. She couldn't think of anything else right now, only the severe beating she would receive for trying to escape. She was crying, as if having a mental breakdown, with no one to support her.

A weird looking person approached her slowly. This person was a Hiver. Hivers are an insectoid race who mostly live in hive minds, serving their queen, like ants or bees. Their limbs and stomachs were very thin, which lead many to call them stickmen. These limbs could easily get torn off, and that lead them to be the leading prosthetic limb manufacturers of all the land. Their insectoid eyes lacked pupils or irises. They looked like big dark balls to the unobservant. They lived in a very strict class system. They were either born Princes, Soldiers, or Workers. Workers were the lowest ranking ones, breaking their backs to uphold their economy. Soldiers, bread for battle, were also quite disposable. The Princes lived in luxury. They were the ones running the show in the hives because the Queen was too vulnerable to be seen. Too many risks. Other than that, the Princes were needed to procreate. They donated their genes to their Queen, and she would produce larvae, which shortly after their birth began to fill their roles in The Hive. All Hivers were disposable to their Queen. If any single one was seen as a failure, or defective in any way, they would be dealt with. The Western Hive would mostly just exile them, cutting them off of the pheromones they needed to be connected with their kin, and banishing them from their lands, never to return. Most of them would die anyway, so there was no point in executing them as their Southern cousins did. This one had but one arm. His left arm was missing, eaten by wild animals that attacked his village one day. His injuries were severe, so instead of wasting resources on healing him, they just decided to let him die. He was just a Worker Drone, he wouldn't be missed anyway.

He wouldn't let that. He wouldn't die, just because the others decided he was not worth saving. He stole some medical supplies and managed to patch himself up. He tried to take a prosthetic arm too, but he was caught. He was not only defying the will of the local Prince, but he acted selfishly. They weren't supposed to be capable of selfishness. They were supposed to always work for what's best for The Hive. This was his first selfish act. This was his first act, he did as a person. For his crimes, he was banished. Not much after he left he was discovered by a Holy Nation patrol, beaten nearly to death, and taken as a slave.

"Little one…" he said, his voice unnerving and no doubt scary for one like the little girl. She flinched as she heard his voice. "Please don't-" she yelped as if she was expecting to get hit. Those guards truly didn't have an ounce of sympathy in them. They would beat small children until they were unconscious, just for not working hard enough. Those bastards truly didn't deserve any mercy. "Don't cry. Please. I'm not going to hurt you" he uttered. She slowly opened one eye, glancing at the one-armed Worker Drone. She saw a look of worry in that unusual, bug-like face. A look of sympathy. As if he was genuinely worried for her. Her tears momentarily stopped flowing, as she looked at the man in front of her, trying to calm her down. "You are safe. They can't hurt you anymore. I promise." he said, as he reached towards her with his only arm. The little girl took his hand and started gripping it. She felt oddly comfortable with this. This weird bug person she has barely seen before was reaching towards her, but she didn't feel threatened. Her gut, her instincts tell her to run, to hide, to avoid this monstrous-looking thing, but she didn't. She felt as if he really cared. She gripped his hand even harder then went in for a hug. The Hiver tried to return it, as best as he could, as missing his left arm was still quite new to him. "There, there. It's okay. Everything will be alright. I won't let anybody hurt you." he said, his voice sounding less and less scary by every moment that passed. Her breathing slowed, and eventually, she calmed down.

"I… You… They…" she tried to say something as she let go of him, but she couldn't find the right words for it. "Shh…" he hushed. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I won't force you." She slowly nodded and looked at the ground. By the time she let go, they were alone, the two of them. Everyone else has left. "We should move as well. There were a lot of us. They might send out a few search parties. We need shelter for the night." he advised the little one. She nodded, as she grabbed his hand, as if it was a safety belt, keeping her from breaking down. They went West. He heard that West of the Holy Nation's lands, and North of his Hive's territory, there was a place where people who didn't want to be found would go to lay low. Maybe it was a good idea for them to try it. It was called Mon… what was it? He couldn't quite recall. They started walking in that direction, hoping that they wouldn't be found.

As they were walking he heard a voice. "N-Name?" she asked. He looked at her, not understanding what she was referring to. "What's… What's your name?" she asked again. It didn't even occur to him, that he didn't have a name. He knew of this concept but wasn't very familiar with it. He knew that the Hiveless would use these "names" to refer to each other. They didn't have names in The Hive. They didn't have a need for them. Their connection to the Hive Mind made it so they knew when they were needed. "I don't have one." he answered. "I never had one. My people usually don't have names." The little girl looked at him with sad eyes. "I… I don't have one either…" "Then maybe we should choose our own names." he responded. She looked around herself and saw that there was a storm incoming from the North. "Could I call you… Could I call you Gale?" she asked. "Why Gale?" he asked in response. "Because… I feel like you could protect me from anything… even the wind..." she answered. "Gale… I like that." he said. It felt weird for him to have a name. Usually, only no-hives had names. Guess he was a no-hive now. He would have to get used to the concept. "And what should I call you?" He asked his new companion. The little girl looked down for a moment, before answering. "Emma." "Alright, Emma. Let's hurry and find a place to stay before that storm reaches us." he said, as they started to walk faster. They were certainly an odd duo, but he couldn't let her be alone. Things didn't exactly look hopeful, but he felt like things could work out. For both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was pretty lore heavy, huh? Yeah, sorry for that. Just wanted to do catch up for anyone who isn't familiar with Kenshi. I'll try to not make the next one not so lore dumpy. If you have any thoughts or criticism, please share them with me. All free works need constructive criticism to improve. Thank you for reading! Also, if any tags don't make sense just yet, wait for it. I have some plans and pre-tagged the series.


	2. The Journey

Three days. They've been traveling for three days now. During those three days, they have been chased by wolves, hid from bandits, and even avoided a Holy Nation patrol or two. They were really hungry too. They couldn't get anything to eat though, as they weren't strong enough to hunt down any animals nearby, they couldn't scavenge any plants for food, and they couldn't go to a town to trade for food, because not only were they completely broke, they would also be recognized as escaped slaves, as their only clothes were their slave's robes. Even if they could go to a farm without being recognized as former slaves, no farmer would trade with, or even talk to Gale, as he was a Hiver, and any guards posted there would take him prisoner and Emma would be alone to fend for herself. They might trade or even help a Scorchlander girl, but they couldn't be sure and Gale would never endanger her. He couldn't risk her getting hurt.

During those three days, he has become quite fond of his small companion. At first, he thought that he was protecting her because his instincts kicked in and they wouldn't let him let a child die, but that wasn't it. That strong feeling of caring for other Hivers no matter what wasn't there anymore. It was gone not so long after he was exiled. Being shut out of the Hive Mind made his protective instincts lay dormant until that faithful meeting. He thought that he was calming her down because her crying would raise attention, but no. He genuinely cared for this random little girl, who he has barely seen before.

Whatever was the cause for his sympathy, they needed to eat. There was this small farm they spotted nearby. It seemed mostly unguarded and wasn't very well lit. Gale figured that maybe if he waits for nightfall, he could sneak in and steal some food. While waiting for the Sun to set, they tried to get to know each other a little better. They shared what their respective lives were like, which was not much for Emma, as she didn't remember a life outside of enslavement. Gale, as he was sharing his life as a Worker Drone in a small village of The Western Hive, he realized how depressing it must seem to one who never knew a Hive. His life was one of menial labor and not much else. Looking back at it, it wasn't much different from his experience as a slave, but back then, he was serving willingly. He explained some things about The Hive to Emma, so she could better understand it, but it didn't make the story, or Emma any less sad. 

As night came so did an opportunity. Gale slowly crept into the little farm, leaving Emma behind. He told her to run if she heard any trouble. He would gladly risk his own hide, but not hers. As he snuck past a small hut, where he assumed they stored grain to feed their animals, he arrived in front of the largest house. He guessed that's where they slept. There might be some valuables inside, but there was also the risk of waking them up. He moved past it, towards the last building. It was a smaller house, likely some sort of store where they sold their produce. He picked the lock on the door using some small metal parts which he found near that small hut and slowly opened it. It seemed empty. He took a deep breath, then slipped in, unnoticed by the single guard who remained for the night. He was very tired, must have had nightmares the night before or something like that.

As soon as he was inside, he closed the door behind himself, so the guard wouldn't notice that someone got in. He looked around once more, but it seemed there wasn't much food, only grain. He checked behind the counter. There was some raw meat there. They could start a fire and dry it out. It won't be tasty but at this point, they would eat anything. He took as much as he could and stuffed it inside his robes. It could maybe last them a few days. He got what they came for, but thought there might be something more here. He checked a back room. It was a storage area, mostly storing grain and some flour, but nothing edible. He found a small chest as well. He wasn't sure of its contents, but he thought it was worth a try. He started to pick the lock, hoping that there may be some food in there. The lock was much more complex than the one on the door. He struggled with it for at least a good ten minutes before it gave in. He slowly opened the chest, to see what was inside. "Bingo!" he thought to himself as he realized he just hit the jackpot. Not only was there a small bowl of cooked rice, but also a sleeping bag. They could finally get some sleep without having to sleep in the dirt. He poured the rice into a small sack that was lying around the room, and then he grabbed the sleeping bag and slowly closed the door. It was rather hard for him to carry both the sleeping bag and the food while sneaking. He went around the farm in a wide circle taking care to stay clear of the sleepy guard.

As he slowly returned to Emma, he saw that the little girl was sitting nervously in the dark, by herself. She was on a small hill, so she could better see if anything was going on at the farm. When she saw him he dropped the sleeping bag immediately and went in for a hug, which the small child gladly returned. They weren't separated for half an hour, but she was worried sick. As they let go he told her what he found. They now had some food finally. They decided that they would move further away from the farm and then make camp and rest for the night. As they searched for a more suitable camping spot she started eating some of the rice he took for her. Seeing this, he took out a piece of raw meat and started eating it. Emma glared at him, weirded out by the fact that this strange man was eating raw meat. He explained to her that his species can eat meat raw, without the risk of getting sick. Drones like him could even eat the kind of meat most others considered inedible. It was quite shocking to hear this for Emma. "You people are weird." she said quietly. "Aren't we all?" Gale responded jokingly. She stopped to think for a moment before answering. "I guess you're right." she told him tugging at his arm. They eventually found a small spot between some hills. "Good enough." Gale thought to himself, as he started to make a campfire from some small branches he found nearby. He started cooking the meat, as she rolled out the sleeping bag. He told her to sleep, and that he would take care of the meat. He cooked the meat and then hunkered down himself for the night.

The next day was the first in a long time without going hungry. Not having an empty stomach raises morale significantly it seems. They guessed that their destination was only a few days away. They hoped they could arrive without much problem. Traveling with Emma made Gale realize, that he didn't need a hive. He just needed a family and it seemed like he found one in Emma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now this one is short on dialogue? Don't worry, the next one will have more. Also, this chapter is shorter than the first. I'm writing these on a whim for enjoyment and writing practice, so chapter-length may be inconsistent.


	3. The Destination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gale and Emma arrive at their destination, only to find that it's not what they had expected...

"GO! DON'T STOP!" Gale shouted at Emma. "JUST RUN! DON'T LOOK BACK!" The girl sprinted as fast as she could, on their tail, a pack of Fogmen. The Fogmen were a cannibalistic group of former Hivers. Some referred to them as The Dead Hive, as after their Queen has died, they all went mad. A group of these psychos was chasing them, about thirty or so of that savage horde were simple Fogmen, and there were even a few Heavies. Both of them knew that they couldn't fight them. Emma wasn't strong or skilled enough to fight, and Gale was still missing an arm, and now his right leg was also injured. He couldn't outrun the bastards. He knew that Emma could though, so he instructed her to leave him behind. She of course wasn't aware that she was leaving him behind. She didn't dare look back at those monsters. As the Fogmen got closer and closer to him, he contemplated his fate. He might die, but he didn't care much. All his life he was insignificant, his death would be meaningless anyway. All that matter to him was that Emma made it out safe.

  
As he was slowly coming to terms with his possible end, he heard Emma's voice. "Guards! Help! They're coming!" She screamed in the direction of the city gate, that she has just seen. The guards, who were used to similar situations, came to their help without hesitation. They charged the Fogmen as they saw that they were about to reach Gale. He could feel them breathing down his neck, and then there was the slashing of steel and the splashing of blood. He wasn't in any shape to fight, but even if he was, the guards were taking care of the Fogmen just fine. He rushed as fast as he could towards Emma, who was rather shaken by the experience. He shielded her eyes from the fighting, telling her to look at his face. The girl was barely nine years old, she shouldn't be chased around by monsters, or fighting for her life. At least they were finally safe. After the short battle concluded, with only a few injuries on the guard's end and most of the Fogmen dead, an uncharacteristically kind looking guard approached the two of them. "They've got you pretty bad, eh?" he asked as he took out a first aid kit. "They got my leg." Gale said while gesturing to his right leg. "It hurts like hell, but I'll live." "Well, you're lucky you managed to get near the gate. We take care of the bastards who come near the city, but we can't have men on patrol nearby. It's just too darn dangerous. Too many of those things around." "You don't need to tell me about their numbers." Gale said, "I've just witnessed it first hand." "These?" the guard smirked "These were nothin'. Just wait and see a band of them with a Prince. They number fifty at the least." "What-ty?" Emma spoke up, "How can there be so many of them?" "They used to be like me." Gale responded, "They were Hivers like me once, but their Queen died and they all went crazy." "Oh..." said the little girl, as the realization sat in. These monsters really were the same species as her companion. They looked different, their skin was blueish rather than Gale's yellowish tone, but the resemblance was truly uncanny. "Aaanyway," the guard cut in "I guess your leg will be fine but try not to put too much weight on it. My name's Hayiko, by the way, but most call me 'Halfie.'" said the Shek guard as he introduced himself, gesturing to one of his horns, which has been broken. Likely a scar from a battle he had fought long ago. "Do you need help with anything else or..." Hayiko asked gesturing with his hands as if he was wondering if he could return to his post. "Yes, we actually do." interjected Gale "Do you happen to know where are we?" "What? How do you NOT recognize this craphole? HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW WHERE YOU'RE TRAVELLING TO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRIGGIN' FOG ISLANDS?!" Hayiko loudly questioned, unable to understand their lack of awareness of their location. "We were..." slaves. Gale wanted to say slaves, but he recognized that it might not be the best idea to make that piece of information common knowledge. "Well, we're quite lost, as you can see. So, where are we?" "Welcome to Mongrel, the only haven in the Fog Islands, a city full of terrible people, and the place where the scum of the land go to if they need to lay low. Anything else?" "Yes, by chance do you happen to know where I could find some work? Considering my physical state, of course." Gale said, pointing out his missing arm. "Did... Did these things take your arm too?" asked Hayiko, visibly worried. "No. Beak Things, back in the Vale. Long story." Gale answered. "Well then..." said Hayiko, trying to break the awkward silence that followed the previous exchange of information, "I guess you could check in at a bar. They might have something for you there. I know a Bartender. Their name is Davey. They run the Pothole. It's the one closest to this gate. Tell 'em 'Halfie' sent you. Order somethin' to eat. Put it on my tab. They'll sort you out." Hayiko advised them, "Sorry, but I oughta get back to my post by now, so... Good luck." "Thanks. And you too." Said gale as Emma grabbed his hand and they began walking towards the Pothole.

  
"That was way too close. The Hell was I thinking?" said Gale, metaphorically punching himself in the gut for putting Emma in danger. Emma held his hand tighter and said: "It's okay. We're safe. That's what matters, no?" "Yes, but it could have ended up going worse very easily. I shouldn't be risking our hides with stunts like this. At least not yours." he said, just as they arrived at the Pothole.  
They stepped into the bar. It was an old, rundown, building smelling of cheap booze and broken dreams. They went up to the counter and took a seat. The bartender, a masculine-looking Greenlander with dark hair, maybe in their late twenties greeted them. "So what's your poison?" Then they spotted Emma. "We don't serve booze to kids, just so you know." "Of course. Halfie sent us. He said you might have some work for me?" said Gale. "Halfie? Wait a sec." said Davey, as they ducked behind the counter for a bit, pulled out some bread and dried meat, and put them in front of them. "Grub up." "I'm not sure if we can afford it. We're broke." "Screw that noise. It's on the house." "Sorry?" "It's free. Eat. You seem like you need it." Gale slowly took a look at the food in from of them. "Thank you." "Don't mention it." He broke off a small piece of bread for himself and gave the rest to Emma. After he finished eating he asked Davey: "So what was that about a job?" "Well, we don't need many workers in Mongrel, but I guess I could help out. You can sleep in a bed upstairs, but I can't just keep giving you free food. I gotta make a living too, you know." "That will be fine. Thank you, again." "No problem." said Davey, as Gale and Emma headed upstairs to rest.

  
The next day, it felt good to wake up in a bar, without having to check if they are in any danger like they did in the wild. Gale asked if Emma could stay with them while he goes out hunting for jobs, to which they agreed.

  
First, he wanted to check out those other bars that Hayiko mentioned. Maybe there would be something for him to do.  
The first one was an absolute craphole, as Hayiko would have put it. Partially crumbling, barely any patrons, grumpy and unhelpful bartender. The second one was called Sideways. Apparently, it was called that, because things usually went sideways there. He went in and asked if he can help with something, but the bartender seemed uninterested in his help. What good could a one-armed Hiver do for him? Disheartened, Gale prepared to leave and return to Emma and Davey to figure out something else. As he was leaving a man in dark clothing approached him. "Hello there. Heard that you're short on cash. I believe I might be able to help with that situation... for a price of course." "For what price, exactly?" asked Gale. The man gestured for him to take a seat beside him. "Saw that you arrived here with a little girl. Let's say you'll owe me something. I'll pay you 3000 cats now, we'll figure out the rest later. Meet me here tomorrow. Bring the girl." said the man. Gale felt uneasy talking to him, but it was the best and only offer he has received. "Fine. We'll figure something out..." responded Gale. The man reached a hand towards Gale to shake his hand. As they shook hands, Gale felt even more nervous. Maybe he's just being paranoid. Maybe it'll go smoothly. He returned to the Pot to speak with Emma and Davey. He told them about his day and that he made arrangements for the two of them for work. "So what's this gonna be about?" asked Davey, slightly suspicious because of the lack of details. "Did he say anything in particular?" "No, he only gave me 3000 cats and told me to meet him tomorrow at the Sideways bar." "The Sideways bar? Wait, was this guy also about this tall and about medium build?" asked Davey, as they gestured to a height about half a head taller than they are. "Yes, to both of those questions. Why?" That was the moment that it popped into Davey's mind. A memory of Hayiko telling them to stay away from that man, as he was a slaver. "That... That mas was a slaver!" he yelled. "Silver-tongued bastard must have meant Emma! He got you to sell Emma to him as a slave!" That's when the realization dawned on Gale. "WHAT?! W-WHAT SHOULD WE DO?" he asked while having a panic attack. "I have no idea! He certainly won't let you go back on the deal, and he'll surely find you here... You gotta get the hell out of town!" "We can't! The roads are too dangerous. We barely escaped with our lives while getting here." "Then you'll have to try to lay low until he has to leave town. He'll have to leave eventually to return home. He's certainly not local. I'd know him." "But where could we hide?" "There's a halfway collapsed shack on the other side of town. Maybe he and his goons won't find you there." While both of them were panicking, Emma grabbed Gale's hand, raising Gale's attention. "Calm down." she said, "Panicking won't help us. We can hide. We have a chance." Gale, somewhat calmer sighed. "I-... I guess you're right..." he said. "Leave at night. They'll see you if you leave now." Davey suggested. "Alright." Gale answered.

The rest of the day was obviously miserable. Everybody was anxious about the days to come. When night came, they said their goodbyes to Davey and left for the ruined shack. Seemingly nobody has seen them on their way. They entered and to their fortune, it seemed empty. Gale laid down a new sleeping bag they got from Davey, as they have lost the previous one while running from the Fogmen, and sat down on it. Their circumstances were terrible, but they had hope. They bought some food from Davey, so they wouldn't starve for a while. They hoped that either the slaver would assume that they escaped town and would try to search for them outside, or that he'd just give up, as 3000 cats wasn't a big sum for a slaver. They didn't know how long they were going to be safe, so they decided to get some sleep while they could.

  
In the middle of the night, they woke up to the sounds of someone trying to break down the partially jammed door of their shack. Gale told Emma to get behind him, as they prepared for the worst.

  
A single kick and the door fell, it's rusted hinges coming off the doorframe alongside it. In its place, stood a large man. He wasn't the same one Gale met at the bar, but they assumed that he was with the slaver. The man was a Hiver Soldier. His body was a faded pinkish-red color, covered in markings. He belonged to the Southern Hive. The Southerners were notoriously hostile to all other sentient beings, especially the Soldier Drones. This one, as all Soldiers, had a wide, helmet-like head, not unlike that of a hammerhead shark, though his head seemed somewhat narrower than the average Drone's. His hat, which looked like a straw hat, but made of metal, covered most of his face. He wore simple leather armor and clothes, that resembled that of the assassins they'd sometimes see while on the road, he also had a pair of light boots, custom-fitted, so a Hiver could wear them. He carried an impressive-looking katana on his belt, and a large, heavy-looking spear on his back. "I heard that you were hiding an escaped slave child... and that you had sold her into slavery again." the man said threateningly. "Please, leave! We don't have business with you. We just want to live in peace." "Peace? You'd sell one who relies on your protection into slavery, then you wish for peace?" "If you have to take someone, then take me! Just leave her alone!" "Oh, now. You'd give yourself up for her sake? How noble of a slaver you are." "I don't care what you do to me. Just don't harm her." pleaded Gale. The man seemed surprised. It seemed like this Westerner really cares for the child he sold as a slave. He decided that maybe a Salamonian test would make things clear. "Move aside. I'm here for her. Let me take her, and you won't be harmed." "NO! Never!" The man, seemingly angered by this response, drew his katana from its sheath. "Then she'll die!" he yelled as he swung his blade towards Emma.

"RUN!" Gale shouted in that unsettling, insect-like voice of his, as he leaped in front of the blade that was swung towards Emma, knowing full well that this hit could cost him his good arm or even his life, but he did not care. All that mattered at this moment was protecting the girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back at the start now. Neato. If you had any thoughts, please leave a comment. All free works need constructive criticism to improve. Thanks for reading.


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